Influence of agriculture fertilizer for the enhanced growth and astaxanthin production from Haematococcus lacustris RRGK isolated from Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

In the present study, Haematococcus lacustris RRGK which is the former name of H. lacustris HPI-001 isolated from Himachal Pradesh, India, and another strain H. lacustris SAG-19a retrieved from Gottingen Culture Collection, Germany, were used. The H. lacustris SAG-19a served as a control. The both strains were grown in a Bold basal medium in which the components of NaNO 3 , K 2 HPO 4 •3H 2 O and KH 2 PO 4 were replaced with agriculture fertilizers such as NPK (17:17:17), urea (CH 4 N 2 O) and DAP (diammonium phosphate; (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 + potash (K 2 CO 3 ) in different concentrations. The isolate of H. lacustris HPI-001 showed maximum growth at 1.2 mM NPK, while the H. lacustris SAG-19a showed maximum growth at 1.5 mM. However, both the strains showed maximum astaxanthin content at 0.6 mM NPK. The H. lacustris HPI-001 showed a maximum growth and astaxanthin content with 3.3 mM and 4.9 mM of urea, respectively, while H. lacustris SAG-19a showed maximum growth and astaxanthin accumulation with 3.3 mM and 6.6 mM of urea, respectively. The H. lacustris HPI-001 showed maximum growth at 250 mg/L (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 + 200 mg/L K 2 CO 3 and maximum astaxanthin content at 150 mg/L (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 + 100 mg/L K 2 CO 3 , while the maximum growth in H. lacustris SAG-19a was observed at 200 mg/L (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 + 150 mg/L K 2 CO 3 , and the maximum astaxanthin content at 150 mg/L (NH 4 ) 2 HPO 4 + 100 mg/L K 2 CO 3 . The basal medium was also amended with the addition of commercial NaHCO 3 wherein the maximum growth and content of astaxanthin in H. lacustris HPI-001 was at 0.6 mM and 1.5 mM of NaHCO 3 , respectively. The H. lacustris SAG-19a showed maximum growth and astaxanthin content at 1.5 mM and 0.6 mM, respectively. Based on the investigation, a medium was formulated and named as modified HPI-001 medium. The results of the present study suggest that commercial agricultural fertilizers may be used as excellent substitutes to enhance cell growth and astaxanthin production in H. lacustris.

Overview and Challenges of Large-Scale Cultivation of Photosynthetic Microalgae and Cyanobacteria

“…Because of this, there has been an interest in testing the use of agricultural fertilizers for large-scale microalgal production, as these are relatively cheap compared to laboratory-grade chemicals and are available in large quantities. It is generally found that the use of agricultural fertilizers, such as those used in farming in general, yields production rates of biomass equal to or even better than traditional media [ 73 , 74 , 75 ] while at the same time providing equal or better production yields of the required end product [ 76 ]. This means that the use of agricultural fertilizers in microalgal production may reduce the costs of the growth medium by as much as 95% [ 77 , 78 ].…”